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Has Oil Ever Done Anything But Corrupt, Poison and Ruin Those It Touches?

Well, yes. Like plastics, medicines, and civilisation. Even so, though, these maps are becoming a cipher for the modern descent into energy wars as the cheap oil runs out. They are taken from the United Nations Environment Programme, and you should go to the UNEP link to find them in their detail; I apologise for the resolution.

Follow the oil and gas pipes to see what Russia is doing in Georgia. It is ensuring control of supply, and the removal of Abkhazia and Ossetia from Georgian control. There are very few iron laws in history, but what on earth possessed the Georgians to break number one, only broken a few times in a thousand years, which says 'do not directly confront the Russians?'.

You can find the UNEP map website, developed and maintained by Grid-Arendal in Norway here. It is now clear that we are looking at a sort of oil-and-gas anschluss with a massive regional display of hegemony attached. I've just finished Robert Kagan's short book, The Return of History, which I took down the pub with me. He's right; we are back to the Great Game.

Russia has won this round.

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